But he did not impose his own vision on the refugee ensemble, trying to draw music from their talents, traditions and life experience, and to guide it towards forming a whole.

"There are so many rich personalities," Driessens told AFP.

Among the group are Dolma Renqingi, a Tibetan singer, Asad Qizilbash, a Pakistani who plays the sarod, another form of lute, Afghan troubador Aman Yusufi and "musicians who have such important experiences, as refugees and as human beings, in the realm of music".

At Muziekpublique, Driessens teaches Turkish music, but he invited his new colleagues to share all "their baggage, their musical tastes and their technique."

"From there, I put together a rundown," he explains. "I spot the pearls... to create something of relevance, but for me this group is first and foremost a human adventure."

- 'From master to disciple' -
Turkish classical music draws on an oral tradition, sometimes with a written score serving as an aide-memoire to its complex, even arcane, melodies.

Driessens did not want to pretend to master it in a few months or even years.

"It's a music that is passed from master to disciple," he said, describing long informal sessions with his guides, copying and imitating their playing until the underlying music revealed itself.

The music of the Ottoman court has influenced western players since the 15th century.

Moldovan prince Dimitrie Cantemir was an adept in the early 18th, a successor to the 17th century Pole Wojciech Bobowski, alias Ali Ufki.

Sufi and Dervish influences also fed back into the tradition, which spread throughout the diverse corners of the sultan's empire, and now, with Driessens, the Turkish foundation mixes with other influences.

Alongside his work with refugees, he is recording tunes influenced by western European folk melodies and modern jazz with musicians from Armenia, Bulgaria and elsewhere.

"I'm not trying to pass myself off as a Turk," Driessens insisted. "I'm Tristan Driessens, born in Belgium to Belgian parents -- but blessed with multiple identities."